100th robotics-assisted procedure analysis:
ROCKLEDGE, FL - Research conducted by Holmes Regional Medical Center indicates that the first 100 da Vinci robotics-assisted surgeries produced significant improvements for patients and helped to dramatically reduce overall healthcare costs.
The new analysis was part of a review of the effects of the first 100 robotic surgeries performed at Holmes Regional Medical Center. The 100th robotics-assisted procedure was performed May 11, 2011. Two types of procedures -hysterectomies and prostatectomies-performed by surgeons using the da Vinci robotics-assisted surgery system were tracked. A total of 49 hysterectomies and 31 prostatectomies represented the vast majority of the first 100 procedures performed
According to the data, the average amount of time spent in the hospital following a robotically-assisted hysterectomy was 44 percent less than the average time spent in the hospital following a non-robotics-assisted hysterectomy. The average hospital stay for patients who underwent robotically-assisted prostatectomies averaged 37 percent less time in the hospital compared to non-robotics-assisted procedures.
In addition to reducing the amount of time patients spend in the hospital, the analysis highlighted the significant reductions in healthcare costs created by the robotics-assisted surgery program at Holmes.
According to the Florida Hospital Association (FHA), the average cost for one inpatient day in a Florida hospital is approximately $1,800.
Using FHA's estimate, the robotics-assisted surgery program reduced costs by approximately $4,500 per hysterectomy patient and approximately $1,500 per prostatectomy patient. The total estimated cost savings was $267,000 for just these two procedures alone.
"The data shows what a real difference our robotics-assisted surgery program is making," said Judy Killebrew, RN, FACHE, COO for Holmes Regional Medical Center. "It not only is helping patients feel better and recover faster, but it is proving to be an effective tool in the ongoing battle to reduce healthcare costs across the system."
Robotics-assisted surgery at Holmes Regional Medical Center allows our expertly trained surgeons to use this less-invasive system to perform complex operations that were until recently impossible without major invasive procedures. Like other minimally invasive procedures, robotics-assisted surgery is performed through a few tiny incisions. However, the robotics-assisted system offers surgeons higher magnification, better flexibility, and more precision than conventional laparoscopic surgery.